CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
B. Findings
3. Students’ Strategies to Overcome Their Speaking Anxiety
b. Relaxation
According to respondent 7, who was interviewed, she always took a deep breath before speaking to help her manage her anxiousness when speaking in English. She said:” I took a breath, then I calmed myself down, and I prayed that I would be successful in speaking English”. Likewise, respondent 6, who also inhaled before speaking English, said ”Yes, I took a deep breath and prayed”.
Moreover, respondent 13 mentioned that she relaxes by singing a song. She said:"
Yes, usually I will sing and calm myself by saying you can, your intention is to study, and make your parents proud of you". Respondent 22 also did different ways of relaxation such as clenching fists and closing her eyes. She said: "Yes, I do some relaxation, I shut my eyes and clinched my hands”. However, several students did not take any relaxing measures before speaking in English. One of them is respondent 10, who said: "No, I don't do any relaxation before speaking English".
According to the findings of these interviews, the majority of the students engaged in various forms of relaxation prior to speaking English, including deep breathing, singing, clenching their hands, and closing their eyes. Yet, other from the fact that some students did not relax before speaking English, they typically spoke without any preparation.
c. Positive Thinking
Depending to the interviews with respondent 2, she always thought positively and motivate herself to speak English. She said: ”When I travel abroad, I constantly push myself to improve my English so that I can communicate with everyone”. She also added: "I've always believed that this is a lesson for me because many of my friends are also unable to, so we can all learn from this together”. Likewise, respondent 15 said:
"Seeing that others can speak English, I should have tried to speak English”.
Unlike respondent 5, She can think positively but sometimes she can think negatively too. She said:" I always thought that I will keep trying until I can, I can because I'm accustomed to it. But occasionally when I'm nervous, I still have negative thoughts”.
Meanwhile, the respondent 1 claims, she always thinks negatively when speaking English. She said: "No, I always thought negatively, such as of course I can't speak English, or my pronunciation is bad, etc.". Respondent 9 also has unfavorable thoughts when speaking in English. She said, "what I usually think about is fear. Sometimes I hesitate to speak English so that it makes me almost cry”.
According to the interviews, some students always have a good attitude when speaking English. They believed that if they worked hard in class and practiced frequently, they could succeed. Several students, however, had negative thoughts because they were afraid of speaking English incorrectly and getting teased by their friends.
d. Peer Seeking
According to respondent 17, when she found some vocabulary difficult to pronounce, she will ask her friend how to pronounce them correctly. She said: "Yes, I feel pleasant if there are my friends beside me because I can ask her if I don't know to pronounce some words in English". Likewise, respondent 12 also always looked for a friend when she found some difficulties in speaking English. She said, "Yes Because if I found some difficulties, I could ask to my friends". Respondent 2 agrees with the statement above regarding finding a partner when speaking English. She said:" I agree because they could correct me if I was wrong".
Meanwhile, respondent 9 said that she will only ask a friend who she thinks is good at speaking English. She said: "It depends on the friend, whether she understands or
not". Besides, respondent 7 prefers to solve it herself when she has difficulty speaking English. She said: "No, they'll laugh at me if I'm wrong".
According to the interview's findings, the majority of students will ask their classmates if they are having any trouble speaking English. There can be pronunciation issues with the vocabulary or a lack of understanding of the meaning. Nonetheless, some other pupils were able to figure out the solution on their own.
e. Resigned
According to the interviews with respondent 9, she frequently uses the restroom during English class to avoid the teacher pointing at her. She said, "Usually, I asked permission to go to the toilet, etc.”. Agreeing with the respondents' statements above, respondent 10 said "Typically, I avoid by focusing on other things".
Contrary to what respondents 9 and 10 said, respondent 5 never resisted or avoided speaking in English when asked to. She said, "No, I won't be afraid to speak if I'm chosen, and I'll do my best. because we won't be able to if we don't try.". The respondent was also unaccustomed to avoiding speaking English when requested, which is similar to the respondent's five claims. She said, "No because I aspire to study and work overseas so I also want to be able to speak English”.
From the interviews, it can be inferred that some students never resisted or avoided speaking in English when requested. They thought that they could do it well or as well as they can. However, some students still avoided or refused when asked to speak English, such as going to the toilet or doing other things, therefore they did not have to be concerned about the teacher appointing them.